Bush admin hawks liquefied natural gas as energy answer

The Bush administration is championing natural gas as the answer to America’s domestic energy needs, despite reservations from the usual batch of freedom-haters about its cost, reliability, and safety. Proponents point out that natural gas is cheaper, less polluting, and more abundant than oil — and, oh yeah, a huge business opportunity. Major energy companies are pursuing over $100 billion in gas-production projects worldwide. But worries remain. Given the current hubbub over dependence on foreign sources of energy, it’s notable that the big natural-gas reserves are in countries like Qatar, Yemen, Iran, and Russia. And communities being targeted for off-loading of liquefied natural gas worry that an accident or terrorist attack could turn terminals or tankers into humongous fireballs; one study found that such a fire would cause second-degree burns on people nearly a mile away.